Raac: County wide survey after Whitchurch Civic Centre shuts

The civic centre and library are closed as surveys are carried out

A county wide survey has been started after crumbling concrete forced the closure of a civic centre.

Whitchurch Civic Centre closed on Thursday after Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) was found throughout the building.

Dean Carroll, council member for housing and assets at Shropshire Council, said work was ongoing to establish the state of the building.

"We want to take a safety-first approach to the public," he said.

The presence of Raac appeared to be widespread throughout the civic centre section of the building, which also houses a library, he said.

Councillor Dean Carroll said in-house surveyors were still assessing the county's property portfolio

"There are also parts that we haven't been able to observe due to the nature of some of the ceiling spaces and... floor spaces," he said.

"We can say at the current time that's the only location where Raac has been identified but we are still doing ongoing investigation works into other properties," he added.

He was unable to estimate how long the work on the civic centre would take or estimate the cost of repairs.

"In the meantime we'll be looking at what options are available to continue delivering public services in the town of Whitchurch," he said.

About 150 schools have closed buildings or taken measures to mitigate concerns over unsafe concrete.